How many Spanish question words do you know? Can you write a question in Spanish correctly? Asking questions is one of the most essential skills when learning Spanish. In this lesson, you'll learn the most important interrogative words in Spanish and how to structure your questions properly.

banner5 PLACEHOLDER

Before we dive into the question words themselves, let's cover some basics about asking questions in Spanish.

How to Say 'Question' in Spanish

'The word 'question' in Spanish is pregunta. It's a feminine noun, and its plural form is preguntas. Let's hear how to pronounce it:

Kevin, la pregunta es:

Kevin, the question is:

Caption 13, Los Años Maravillosos - Capítulo 1

 Play Caption

Los voy a dejar con cuatro preguntas.

I am going to leave you with four questions.

Caption 48, Carlos explica - Tuteo, ustedeo y voseo: Ustedes y vosotros

 Play Caption

banner PLACEHOLDER

How to Write Questions in Spanish: Basic Structure

Writing questions in Spanish follows specific rules. Let's break down the structure you need to know.

Spanish Question Marks: Punctuation Rules

Spanish uses inverted question marks. Every question starts with an opening question mark (¿) and ends with a closing one (?):

¿Cómo es Japón?

What's Japan like?

¿Qué te gusta de Japón?

What do you like about Japan?

Captions 69-70, Clase Aula Azul - Pedir deseos

 Play Caption

Yes/No Questions in Spanish

Creating yes/no questions is simple. Your intonation matters most here. Transform any statement into a question using this structure:

¿ + (subject) + conjugated verb + (additional information) + ?

📌 Elements in parentheses are optional.

Examples:

A Pedro le gusta comer pizza. (Pedro likes to eat pizza.)

¿A Pedro le gusta comer pizza? (Does Pedro like to eat pizza?)

📌 For negative questions, add "no" before the verb:

No quieres estudiar. (You don't want to study.)

¿No quieres estudiar? (Don't you want to study?)

Listen to these examples and notice how the speaker's voice rises at the end:

Mmm... ¿Quieres ir al cine?

Mmm... Do you want to go to the movies?

-Sí, ¡buena idea!

-Yes, good idea!

Captions 45-46, Conversaciones en el parque - Cap. 5: Me gusta mucho este parque.

 Play Caption

¿Necesitas ayuda?

Do you need help?

-Mmm... Sí.

-Mmm... Yes.

Captions 9-10, Español para principiantes - La hora

 Play Caption

¿No conoces Manhattan?

You don't know Manhattan?

Caption 37, Yago - 2 El puma

 Play Caption

📌 Yes/no questions commonly start with a conjugated verb.

banner3 PLACEHOLDER

Information Questions in Spanish

When asking for specific information, use this structure:

¿ + (preposition) + question word + conjugated verb + (additional information) + ?

📌 Elements in parentheses are optional.
Example:

¡Oh! ¿Dónde está el cajero automático?

Oh! Where's the ATM?

Caption 36, Natalia de Ecuador - Palabras de uso básico

 Play Caption

Structure breakdown: 

¿ + question word (dónde) + conjugated verb (está) + additional information (el cajero automático) + ?

Let's listen to another clip:

¿Desde cuándo tienes este piso?

Since when have you had this apartment?

Caption 35, 75 minutos - Gangas para ricos

 Play Caption

Structure breakdown: 

¿ + preposition (desde) + question word (cuándo) + conjugated verb (tienes) + additional information (este piso) + ?

banner2 PLACEHOLDER

Essential Spanish Question Words (WH Questions)

Ready to learn the most important interrogative words? Here are the Spanish equivalents of 'what', 'which', 'when', 'where', 'who', 'why', and 'how'.

Quick Reference: Spanish Question Words

• What / Which (Qué / Cuál)

• When (Cuándo)

• Where (Dónde)

• Who (Quién)

• Why (Por qué)

• How (Cómo)

Now, let's see each one of these question words in action with a list of some of the most basic Spanish questions you can ask.

banner4 PLACEHOLDER

Common Spanish Questions Using Question Words

What / Which in Spanish: Qué / Cuál

Diremos, "¿Qué hora es?"

We'll say, "What time is it?"

Caption 49, Español para principiantes - La hora

 Play Caption

O, ¿A qué te dedicas?

Or, What do you do? [with "tú"].

Caption 17, Karla e Isabel - Tú y Usted

 Play Caption

Oye, y ¿en qué trabajas?

Hey, and what do you do [for a living]?

Caption 82, Ricardo - La compañera de casa

 Play Caption

Por supuesto; ¿cuál es su dirección de correo?

Of course; what is your e-mail address?

Caption 69, Negocios - Empezar en un nuevo trabajo

 Play Caption

¿Recuerdas cuál era la copa para servir vino?

Do you remember which cup was the one for serving wine?

Caption 36, Ana Carolina - El comedor

 Play Caption

When in Spanish: Cuándo

¿Y cuándo hizo el "check-in"?

And when did he check-in?

Caption 13, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa - Capítulo 3

 Play Caption

¿Cuándo terminas de estudiar?

When do you finish studying?

Caption 72, Carlos explica - Tuteo, ustedeo y voseo: Conjugación

 Play Caption

Where in Spanish: Dónde

¿De dónde eres?

Where are you from?

Caption 36, Curso de español - ¿De dónde eres?

 Play Caption

Y ¿en dónde vives?

And where do you live?

Caption 8, Cleer - Entrevista a Lila

 Play Caption

Here's how to ask about locations:

¿Me podrías decir dónde está el baño?

Could you tell me where the bathroom is?

Caption 7, Raquel - Expresiones para un festival de música.

 Play Caption

¿Sabes dónde hay alguna farmacia?

Do you know where there's a pharmacy?

Caption 24, Raquel - Expresiones para un festival de música.

 Play Caption

banner6 PLACEHOLDER

Who in Spanish: Quién

Use quién to find out someone's identity:

Mi jugador favorito juega en el Real Madrid.

My favorite player plays for Real Madrid.

¿Quién es?

Who is it?

Captions 19-20, El Aula Azul - Las Profesiones

 Play Caption

¿Usted quién es?

Who are you?

Roberto. Un amigo.

Roberto. A friend.

Captions 24-25, Yago - 9 Recuperación

 Play Caption

Why in Spanish: Por qué

¿Por qué dices eso? -No...

Why are you saying that? -No...

Caption 14, Cortometraje - Beta

 Play Caption

How in Spanish: Cómo

Para saludar, podemos decir: "Hola. ¿Cómo estás? ¿Todo bien?"

To greet (people), we can say: "Hello. How are you? (Is) everything good?"

Caption 7, Español en las calles - Varias expresiones

 Play Caption

📌 Remember: cómo doesn't always translate to 'how'. Here's a common example:

Buenos días, ¿cómo te llamas?

Good morning, what's your name?

Caption 8, La rutina diaria - La mañana

 Play Caption

banner2 PLACEHOLDER

How Much, How Many, How Old in Spanish

To ask about age, price, or quantity, Spanish uses different question words:

Ah, lindo.

Oh, nice.

¿Cuánto cuesta?

How much does it cost?

Captions 33-34, Natalia de Ecuador - Palabras de uso básico

 Play Caption

¿Cuántos años tienes?

How old are you?

Caption 6, Cleer - Entrevista a Lila

 Play Caption

Ah, vale. ¿Cuántos hijos tienes?

Oh, OK. How many sons do you have?

Caption 39, Clase Aula Azul - El verbo parecer

 Play Caption

¿Y cuántas botellas de agua hay aquí?

And how many bottles of water are there here?

Caption 78, Español para principiantes - Los números del 1 al 100

 Play Caption

Start Asking Questions in Spanish Today

Now you're ready to ask questions in Spanish! Practice using these question words in your conversations. We'd love to hear from you—send us your thoughts and any questions you have about Spanish question words!